The founding members of the group were Conleth (Con) Cluskey (born 18 November 1941; died 8 April 2022), Declan (Dec) Cluskey (born 23 December 1942), and John Stokes (Sean James Stokes) (born 13 August 1940). In 1957 they formed their first band together, "The Harmonichords" (also seen as "The Harmony Chords"), a classically styled instrumental harmonica-act.
As The Harmonichords, they appeared on Hughie Green's 'Opportunity Knocks' on Radio Luxembourg[1] and on the 'Ed Sullivan' TV Show St. Patrick's Day Special (filmed in Dublin, broadcast 15 March 1959), where they played "Danny Boy."[2] They also played background music plus featured pieces in a 25 week radio comedy series called 'Odd Noises' on Radio Éireann featuring Eamonn Andrews.[3] They changed their name to "The Bachelors" in 1962 at the suggestion of Dick Rowe, A&R at Decca Records, who reportedly recommended the name "because that’s the kind of boy a girl likes."
During the 1960s, they had many successful songs in music charts in Europe Australia, South Africa, South America, parts of the USSR, and the United States. Some of the most successful were "Diane" (1964), "Marie" (1965), "I Wouldn't Trade You For the World" (1965), and "In the Chapel in the Moonlight" (1965). In 1965 they had the 'most played juke box track' with "The Stars Will Remember" from a film they made with then-current DJ Sam Costa.
Live work carried them into the 1970s with record breaking theatre season shows, but after a successful start to the decade with the album World of the Bachelors hitting the top 5, the band became less and less dominant in the music industry. Along with singers like Tom Jones they found themselves stuck in a decade of Glam Rock, unable to change with the times. They remained successful recording artists and moved to the Pye label, which contracted easy listening stars like Frankie Vaughan and Max Bygraves. Despite their last chart single being in 1967, they continued to play the cabaret circuit, still maintaining the original line-up until 1984, when there was "a messy split" between the Cluskey brothers and Stokes.
Following the split, the Cluskey brothers appeared as "The New Bachelors" and Stokes as "Stokes & Coe", Stokes allegedly also then appeared as "The New Bachelors" so the Cluskey's now perform as "Con & Dec The Bachelors"
In 2008 a compilation CD, "I Believe - The Very Best of The Bachelors," featuring the 60s hits together with two new songs recorded by Con and Dec Cluskey, was released through Universal who had acquired the Decca catalogue (available in the US as an import from Uni Classics Jazz UK), reached #7 in the UK Radio One album chart 27 July - 2 Aug 2008. Con and Dec Cluskey appeared on TV and radio to promote the album.
Marie
The Bachelors Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Marie, the dawn is breaking
Marie, (ooh, Marie) you'll soon be waking
To find you heart is aching
And tears (and tears) will fall (will fall) as you recall
The moon in all its splendor
A kiss (ooh, a kiss) so very tender
(Marie) Marie (Marie)
Marie, you'll soon be waking
To find you heart is aching
And tears (and tears) will fall (will fall) as you recall
The moon in all its splendor
A kiss (ooh, a kiss) so very tender
The words, will you surrender to me
(Marie) Marie (Marie) Marie (Marie)
The Bachelors’ song “Marie” is a melancholic ballad about a lost love. The song’s lyrics details the heartbreak of a man who had a special moment with Marie, but had to let her go. The opening lines suggest that it is dawn and Marie is asleep, yet the singer is already awake and in pain. He describes the heartache that Marie will eventually feel once she wakes up and realizes that the moment they shared is over. The image of tears falling and the moon in all its splendor adds to the emotional depth of the song, emphasizing the love that was once there.
The singer then recalls a tender kiss and the words, “will you surrender to me?” which implies that their love was not fully realized or fulfilled. Overall, the song evokes feelings of lost love, longing, and regret. It is a classic example of a love song that captures the emotional depth and complexity of a failed relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Marie, the dawn is breaking
Marie, it's early morning and the sun is starting to rise
Marie, (ooh, Marie) you'll soon be waking
Marie, you will soon be waking up from sleep
To find your heart is aching
To realize that your heart is in pain
And tears (and tears) will fall (will fall) as you recall
And tears will flow down your cheeks as you remember
The moon in all its splendor
The beautiful sight of the moon shining brightly
A kiss (ooh, a kiss) so very tender
A gentle and loving kiss
The words, will you surrender to me
The request if you will give up control and submit to me
(Marie) Marie (Marie)
Repeating the name Marie for emphasis
Marie, you'll soon be waking
Marie, you will soon be waking up from sleep
To find your heart is aching
To realize that your heart is in pain
And tears (and tears) will fall (will fall) as you recall
And tears will flow down your cheeks as you remember
The moon in all its splendor
The beautiful sight of the moon shining brightly
A kiss (ooh, a kiss) so very tender
A gentle and loving kiss
The words, will you surrender to me
The request if you will give up control and submit to me
(Marie) Marie (Marie) Marie (Marie)
Repeating the name Marie for emphasis
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: Irving Berlin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
catherine murphy
Marie, the dawn is breaking
Marie, you'll soon be waking
To find your heart is aching
And tears will fall as you recall
The moon in all it's splendor
A kiss so very tender
The words, will you
Surrender to me, Marie
Marie, Marie
Marie, you'll soon be waking
To find your heart is aching
And tears will fall as you recall
The moon in all it's splendor
A kiss so very tender
The words, will you
Surrender to me, Marie
Marie, Marie, Marie
Milton Williams
Just another wonderful song preformed by the great Bachelors, became a big fan of theirs in 1964 and am happy that thanks to YouTube I and their many other fans can still enjoy their wonderful sound and music.
leonard buskey
YES
philip norris
Definitely.
Debutantealways Hunter
Their harmonies and their beautiful voices must get me every time! I am 67 and was young when they were in their heyday...but I remember these songs well.
Michael Sharum
Absolutely Brillant vocals and musical arrangement. I remember dancing to this song back in the 60's. I really like this group then and wonder if any of them are still around. All their songs make me smile. I don't believe they got the recognitions they deserved due to the British Invasion. Just bad timing. In any event I'm so glad I found them on YouTube. Many thanks for Uploading their song.
Bryan Palmer
Beautiful harmonies--this and Diane were my favorites.
TheChitown5
Loved their harmonies. This song and style was a throwback to 50's group harmonies and was in strong contrast with the current new trend of British Invasion rock. It still was a big hit and had a lot airplay in the States.
memphistube
Have a listen to The Keytones' version on youtube, it's superb!😊🎙🎶👌
memphistube
Enjoy!❤👌🎙🎶
William Bug
I remember when they were top recording stars.Great harmony.